Boskalis CSR report 2017

CSR 2017 – BOSKALIS 25

“THANKS TO SUCH PIONEERING INNOVATIONS AS THE OCEAN CLEANUP, WE HOPE TO BETTER PROTECT OUR OCEANS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS”

“Slat’s design involves massive booms that collect marine litter using the ocean’s currents. The booms passively catch and concentrate debris in the center, which will be picked up by boats. The initial idea was to develop one large boom spanning no less than 100 kilometers. The boom was to be fixed to the 4,000 meter deep seabed by anchors,” explains Gertjan Grundlehner, Head R&D Boskalis Offshore Technology, and actively involved in The Ocean Cleanup pilots. “Boskalis helped to install a prototype in the North Sea in 2016. This live test provided valuable insights leading to the conclusion that the system needed considerable design revisions.” “Basically, it was back to the drawing board for The Ocean Cleanup. It was then that the idea emerged for smaller, free-floating booms that would be driven by the wind, waves and current. This solution was quickly recognized as a promising enabler for the passive collection of waste. During this past year, Boskalis helped The Ocean Cleanup, providing know-how and insights to further develop this concept. At Boskalis, we have a wealth of experience in supporting innovation processes and tons of practical expertise with the deployment of floating systems in a marine environment. We also know that every innovation has its own particular challenge to overcome. But, by asking the right questions, and based on our expertise, we often succeed in finding fitting solutions. Together with the engineers of The Ocean Cleanup, we managed to design the free-floating booms in such a way that they continuously collect floating debris, without drifting out of the ocean’s garbage patches. The tolerance of the smaller booms to variations in wind, waves and currents is a major benefit. What’s more, propulsion or seabed anchoring aren’t required. Importantly, the small booms have an excellent alignment with the driving forces, thus enabling maximum waste capture. The great thing about this solution is that the whole concept is powered by freely available forces of nature!” OCEAN GARBAGE PATCHES – OVER 5 TRILLION PIECES OF PLASTIC LITTER Ocean currents concentrate plastic litter in five areas in the world: in the subtropical gyres, also known as the world’s ‘ocean garbage patches’. There are five of such ocean garbage patches, the largest one being the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located between Hawaii and California. If left to circulate, the plastic will impact our ecosystems, health and economies. Solving the problem of this plastic soup requires a combination of closing the source, and cleaning up what has already accumulated in the ocean.